A business that grows on you

At Morris Flowers and Garden Centre in Creston, it's OK to stop and smell the roses—and many other flowers besides

1 of 6The Morris Flowers Garden Centre is a stunning place to visit when everything comes into bloom. — Kristen Mitchell photo

2 of 6Pat Fleck (left), Lloyd Morris and employee Brittany Tilling enjoy the work they do at Morris Flowers. — Kristen Mitchell photo

3 of 6The main street flower shop first opened its doors in 1966. — Kristen Mitchell photo

4 of 6Visiting the Morris Flowers Garden Centre provides an abundance of garden inspiration. — Kristen Mitchell photo

5 of 6The flower shop is a visually appealing place to browse a variety of wares. — Kristen Mitchell photo

6 of 6Trees and shrubs are also among the offerings at Morris Flowers Garden Centre. — Kristen Mitchell photo

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Morris Flowers and Garden Centre is now a second generation business that is owned and managed by Lloyd Morris and his sister, Pat Fleck. Established in 1953, the flower shop part of the business moved to its current location on Creston’s main street in 1966, and has been doing a brisk business ever since.

“You have to enjoy it to be in it this long,” said Fleck, who grew up in the business and primarily works at the flower shop. “I enjoy the creativity of it. Some days it doesn’t feel like work. You open a box of flowers and it’s like the whole world in a box, because we bring flowers in from Ecuador, Colombia, Holland, South Africa—it’s really cool seeing that every week. (I’m) doing something different every day. Arranging, displays, pricing, freight, wedding work, funeral work—we’re working with every emotion and occasion for people in their lives.”

The other half

The garden centre, part of the same business but at another location, is also a very big part of Morris Flowers. Originally, all Morris Flowers arrangements were made from flowers grown on site. Although many are now shipped in, the garden centre grows as many of the arrangement flowers as possible. The expansive greenhouse and grounds also hold almost any plant that Creston residents could possibly want for their own gardens.

Morris said that owning a business means more flexibility to do the work he wants to do. He mostly manages the garden centre, but also does the flower deliveries.

“I enjoy it,” he said. “When you’re starting in January, especially at the garden centre, you can see things grow. Everything comes into bloom and it’s lush and full. It evolves to (that point) and then it all disappears. It’s nice.”

The business side of things

Although Morris Flowers is well established in the minds of locals, marketing to those who don’t live in Creston has been important for the business. As Morris pointed out, lots of mothers live in Creston, meaning that being able to order flowers from afar is important. Consequently, technology is a growing part of doing business for Morris Flowers.

There are also a lot of added-value elements to the business. The flower shop has evolved to also offer chocolate, lotions, gifts and antique furniture that was originally brought in from Europe just for display. The garden centre hosts events including weddings, library book sales and an annual Easter sunrise service. The weekly farmers market has also been hosted in the greenhouses when the weather cools down in late fall.

To succeed with a small business in a small town, it helps to really focus on people. Fleck and Morris enjoy working with the clients. Over the garden centre entrance hangs a sign that states, “Through these doors pass the most important people in the world: Our customers.”

“I think we’re not so much in the flower business as we are in the people business,” said Fleck. “We get people coming in and saying, ‘Oh, it would be amazing to work here. I love this place.’ They smell and touch everything and try the lotions. That makes us feel good about our job.”